Lester on the mark last nigh vs The O's (Courtesy Boston.com)
Earning the most votes was Maine’s Shawn Walsh for his coaching efforts in leading the Black Bears to a remarkable 42-1-2 record and a National Championship during the 1992-93 season. The memorable 5-4 come-from-behind win against Lake Superior State in the national title game was Maine’s first-ever NCAA title and also marked the first time a Hockey East school captured the national crown. Maine’s league record that season was 22-1-1 as they took home the Hockey East regular season title and also won the Hockey East Tournament with a 5-2 victory against Boston University in the league’s 1993 title game at Boston Garden.
“Our coaches are now and have always been one of the primary sources of our success,” said Hockey East commissioner Joe Bertagna. “Shawn Walsh pushed everyone to be better. It is only fitting that his masterpiece season heads the list of great coaching efforts.”
Coming in at second place was Boston College mentor Jerry York’s coaching performance during the 2007-08 campaign. York led the Eagles on a tremendous late-season run, winning his 800th career game, a Hockey East Tournament Championship (his sixth) and an NCAA Championship (his third overall and his second with Boston College). His team finished fourth in Hockey East during the regular season, but played inspired hockey during its eight-game win streak in the post-season that culminated in BC’s 4-1 win against Notre Dame in the NCAA Championship game.
Rounding out the Top-3 is Merrimack’s Ron Anderson who provided one of the most stunning moments in league history when his 8th-seeded Warriors upset #1 Boston University in a best-of-three Hockey East quarterfinal series. Anderson’s crew opened the series with a 4-1 victory before falling on the second night by a margin of 6-5. The deciding game was a nailbiter with Merrimack holding on for a 5-4 win - thanks in part to some stellar netminding from current Merrimack goalie coach Tom Welby - and advancing to the 1998 Hockey East Championships in Boston.
Hockey East’s Best Coaching Performances were chosen by a fan vote through the league’s official website – HockeyEastOnline. com - and votes from Hockey East’s 25th Anniversary Committee, which includes representatives from each Hockey East school. Throughout the season, fans have cast their ballots for Hockey East’s All-Time Team, Top 25 Forwards, and Top 25 Defenders. The results in these categories will be unveiled as part of Hockey East 25th Anniversary Tournament celebration.
In addition to these major categories, a number of other ballot questions appeared at regular intervals throughout the year. All fan voting is now complete.
The league has already announced the results of eight previous polls conducted during the 25th anniversary celebration, including: Top Goalie (Chris Terreri - PC), Best Goal Scorer (Brian Gionta - BC), Best Playmaker (Paul Kariya - Maine), Best Defensive Defenseman (Brian Leetch - BC), Best Defensive Forward (Chris Drury - BU), the Naukabout Unsung Player (Scott Clemmensen – BC), Top-3 Most Memorable Moments and the SwingJuice Top-3 Best Individual Performances.
The University of Maine Black Bears Sports Teams had a very busy weekend!
The Portland Pirates wasted an outstanding performance from Goalie Jhonas Enroth , who had 43 saves, losing to the Hartford Wolf Pack 2 - 1 in OT.
After a sluggish start, the Boston Celtics bench, sparked by Eddie House and Big Baby Davis, slammed the Sacramento Kings 119 - 100. House led all scorers with 28 points, including 8 - 9 from 3 point range.
The Maine Black Bears Hockey team dropped another game, losing to Boston College 4 - 1.
The Boston Celtics demolished the Dallas Mavericks at the TD Banknorth Garden Sunday. The score at halftime was 74 - 47 and the Celts never looked back. Kevin Garnett finished with 23 points as did Eddie House who was 7 - 11 from 3 point range. The Final score was 124 - 100.
Sorry...Old Habits
The Boston Celtics survived their 2nd back to back in a week, to outlast the New Orleans Hornets 94 - 82. On a night that James Posey received his World Championship ring, Boston fought poor shooting and foul trouble to bring the team to the best start in franchise history (22 -2 ).
Milan Lucic and Phil Kessel continued their torrid scoring pace, helping to net a 4 goal lead, to blast the Atlanta Thrashers 7 - 4. Boston trails only the San Jose Sharks (Hello Mr Thornton, 48 Points) in points with 44. Kessel is in the midst of a 14 game point streak and is now the NHL's 3 leading goal scorer with 18.
Maine Black Bear Hockey Coach Tim Whitehead shuffled his lines a little, leading the Black Bears to a 3 - 1 win over Union at Alfond Arena.
The Lewiston MAINEiacs fell to the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies 5-1 on Friday night at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee.
The Portland Pirates dropped a hard fought battle to the Binghamton Senators 2 -1.
The MAINEiacs drop one to Shawinigan 7 - 4
The Portland Pirates lose to the Providence Bruins in a shootout.The UMaine Black Bears Hockey team beat Merrimack in the 1st of two at Alfond this weekend, 2 - 1.
The Minnesota Timberwolves shot a dismal 31% from the floor as the Celtics slam the Wolves 95 -78.
The Bruins beat up on the Florida Panthers at home for a 4 - 2 win. The win moves them into a 1st Place tie with the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference and 3 points back for the NHL Points lead.
